Chu Enoki (b. 1944), a native of Kagawa Prefecture, is a Kobe-based contemporary artist who started his artistic career in the 1960s. He is known for his avant-garde public performances and the use of controversial motifs, such as guns and cannons.
Much of Enoki's work is constructed from salvaged metal scraps, which he reshapes himself, making use of his past experience as a worker at a metal-processing factory.
In the 1990s, Enoki began to garner attention outside of the Kansai region. His solo show at Osaka Kirin Plaza in 2006, and a 2007 joint show with contemporary artist Ushio Shinohara at Toyota Municipal Museum of Art in Aichi Prefecture, were his most prominent exhibitions.
This exhibition is one of the largest to trace Enoki's career to date. It includes a display of his early work as well as some recreations, in different materials, of past pieces; till Nov. 27.
Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art; (078) 262-0901; 1-1-1 Wakihama Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe; 8-min. walk from Iwaya Station, Hanshin Honsen Line, or 10-min. walk from Nada Station, JR Kobe Line. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Fri., Sat., till 8 p.m.). ¥1,200. www.artm.pref.hyogo.jp.